Can I use this pressure cooker to can?

[KimV]

I'm so excited. I canned (water bath) for the first time yesterday! All those little popping noises were awesome! Oranges... today I'm going to try applesauce (if I can get a move on). I found it easy enough, I'm going to start looking for a pressure canner. But before I spend a lot of money, I was wondering if any of you could tell me if I can use what I already have: a Presto pressure cooker Model # 0126407. It came with a rack and a rocker. The rocker is removeable, and the rack looks like many I've seen in heavy duty canner pictures. So, can I order the appropriate weights and use this pan? I realize it would be for small batches/jars, but our family is getting smaller (2 of our 4 are leaving for the military this summer - where's the sad but proud emoticon?), so I'm ok with smaller batches.

I apologize for the size of the pic... But it's so pretty!

 

[moolie]

I did a quick google search for your pressure cooker and found the manual for it here: http://www.gopresto.com/products/manuals.php

Pressure cookers are only meant for cooking, not for canning. In some cases, cookers can operate under the same pressure as canners, but canners are larger and hold heat/pressure longer--this means that the times given for pressure canning will NOT work for pressure cookers.

I would personally not chance it, food safety is just not something you want to mess around with.

I have two pressure canners (both used, one was my Mom's, the other one I got from a second-hand shop) as well as a pressure cooker that I got for Christmas because I love pressure cooking for quick dinners (roast beef in 45 minutes!) and dislike pulling one of my big canners out to do it. The canners vs. the cooker are quite different in build, and have different pressure weights.

 

[ORChick]

A quick search only brought up parts lists for your pressure cooker, not a picture of the thing itself, but it appears to be a 6 qt cooker, if I saw that correctly. I am fairly new to pressure canning - got my canner at the beginning of last year - but did a fair bit of reading before purchase - and my understanding is that one should not use a cooker as a canner. As I understand it, the times and instructions for canning are based on the extra size of the canners - i.e. bringing the pot up to pressure and cooling it down afterwards are both part of the equation when they calculate the safe times, and a smaller cooker will both heat up and cool down more quickly, meaning that the food will have been in the heat, under pressure, for less time than is considered safe.
As to the size of canner you might want - we are also a small family (just the 2 of us), and I had many doubts about how useful a canner would be for us. We don't hunt, and neither of us is fond of canned vegetables. I have water bathed for decades, but only came 'round to pressure canning last year when I realized that I could can broth (which I make in quantity) and soups, stews and the like. It seemed to me that larger would be better, as, if I were going to go to the trouble of doing it at all, I would probably be doing it in large quantities. I got a 23 qt Presto, and have had it full a few times, and at least half full most other times. I don't think you would regret having the option to can a larger batch, even if your family is small.

 

[Cindlady2]

I would look for a small canner. The more you use it, the more you will think of things to use it for! I plan on canning some chicken this year, just because it's convenient for quick meals. Canned venison or even tough cuts of beef are great canned and used for quick stews and other dishes where you want extra tender meat. If you like cooking and canning it worth it.